Just Friends
by heartfiliac
Summary: Natsu and Lucy are best friends, as close as can be. So close, in fact, that everyone often mistake them for a couple. If that wasn't enough, their shared group of friends relentlessly tease and taunt them about it. To prove them wrong, and to prove that they are just friends, Natsu and Lucy set on a mission to find each other's perfect match. How blind could they be?


**Author's Note**

Hi, you guys. My name is Anna, and this is my first attempt at a Fairy Tail story. So please be nice, as there may be some mistakes. Okay, probably a LOT of mistakes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the words.

Prologue

Lucy Heartfilia, age 5, skipped her way across the pavements while holding her mother's comforting hand.

Today was her first day at kindergarten and saying she was just excited would be a major understatement. Her pigtails bounced up and down as she bounced up and down herself.

"Mommy! Mommy!" she called and tugged on her mother's hand. "How long left until we get there?"

Layla Heartfilia looked down at her adorable daughter's bright brown eyes and smiled.

"We're almost here, Lucy."

"Yay!" little Lucy giggled in enthusiasm.

A few more minutes of walking and they arrived at Fairy Tail Kindergarten, where many other children were also there with their parents. Layla crouched down on one knee to get eye-level with her daughter and cupped her little face in her hands.

"Lucy," she spoke softly. "Today is a very special day. Do you know why?"

Lucy nodded vehemently and grinned big.

"It's because imma big girl now!"

Layla chuckled.

"That's right, sweetheart," she nodded. "Now, you have fun. Remember to be nice to everyone, no matter how they might treat you. I'll be here to pick you up later, okay?"

"I promise to be a good girl, Mommy," Lucy replied with a big grin.

"That's my girl," Layla kissed her forehead. "Now go."

Lucy didn't need any more encouragement before she bounced off.

The day went by quicker than Lucy had hoped. Who doesn't love spending the day colouring in and eating snacks? Sooner than she knew it, it was playtime. Secretly, this is the part Lucy looked most forward to. She was excited to meet new people and hopefully make some friends. Little Lucy had always been kept inside of the house, and therefore didn't have the opportunity to make any friends at all, so to say she was anxious would be putting it lightly.

Once the bell rang, children started running out of the classroom and into the playground. Lucy followed them with just as much enthusiasm and looked around to find who she could play with.

In the middle, she saw a group of three girls who she recognised as girls from her class. They were playing in the sand box and Lucy walked up to them excitedly.

"Hi!" she waved with a big toothy grin. "My name is Lucy! Do you guys wanna play house with me? We could be a big family!"

Instead of laughing along and agreeing like Lucy hoped would happen, the girls stood up and ran away from her. Lucy's smile dropped a little and she looked around elsewhere while fiddling with her thumbs nervously.

 _Don't let it get to you, Lucy. You can find someone else!_

With that encouragement from her inner thoughts, Lucy walked up a little boy in baggy pants and unusually long black hair playing with a metallic train. She sat down beside him and smiled at him when he looked up at her with a raised, bushy eyebrow.

"Hi!" she greeted once more. "My name is Lucy! Do you wanna play house with me? We could be husband and wife!"

The little boy glared at her and said, "Go away."

Lucy's smile dropped once more, but she was determined to make at least one friend today.

 _"Remember to be nice to everyone, no matter how they treat you."_

Her mother's wise words rang in her ear and she didn't give up.

"O-Or we could play something else! Do you like trains? I've got loads at home! Daddy brings them from London! My favourite one is the o-"

Her enthusiastic words were cut off when the little boy shouted "I said go away!" once again and reached forward to grab her blonde little pigtail and yank it. Hard.

"OW!" Little Lucy screeched in pain. Her eyes began to swim with unshed tears when the realisation hit her that no one wanted to be her friend. A stream of fresh tears poured down her chubby cheeks and she ran away from the boy and everyone else.

Lucy hid behind the makeshift castle in the corner and cried her eyes out, hoping no one would spot her and make fun of her for being such a baby. She just didn't understand why the kids were so mean to her. She had worn her favourite pink princess dress and her mommy had placed her hair in cute pigtails. She even went as far as to wear her brand new pink, shiny shoes that her father had brought back from Italy. So why did no one want to be her friend?

 _Maybe all kids are this mean and I'll never make any friends..._

The thought made her cry harder and her shoulders shook violently as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"Yo!" a small voice chirped in front of Lucy.

Her eyes trailed upwards; from torn sneakers, to worn out pants and a black vest, then a toothy grin, dark eyes, and bright pink hair sticking up in every direction possible. The little boy sat down in front of her and crossed his legs.

"Why you cryin'?" he asked and scratched his head.

Lucy sniffed.

"N-No one will play with me..." she whimpered and wondered if she sounded pathetic.

The little boy looked even more confused and tilted his head.

"Why not?"

"I don't kn-know," she cried and cried even louder.

The boy looked panicked and raised his hands in the air, unsure of what he had done wrong.

"H-Hey! It's alright, I'll play with you!" he quickly said to her.

Lucy looked up at him with tears filling up her wide eyes.

"You will?"

"Uh huh," he nodded with that grin again and stood up, reaching out a hand to her, which she took to stand up herself. "I'm Natsu!"

"My name is L-Lucy," the girl said hesitantly.

"Alright, Lucy!" Natsu's grin widened and he leaned down closer to whisper so that no one would hear the scandalous question he was about to ask next. "Do you wanna play castles?"

"Castles?" Lucy cocked her head in confusion.

Natsu nodded.

"Uh huh. This is my castle," he continued whispering, pointing to the small wooden castle they were standing behind. "And it's missing a princess!"

Lucy's eyes lit up and she smiled big, her little hand shooting up in the air.

"Oh! Oh! I can be the princess!" she volunteered herself.

"Yosh!"

"Are you gonna be my Prince or my Knight in Shining Armour?" she asked Natsu.

He laughed and shook his head.

"No, silly! I'm the dragon!"

Lucy's mouth formed a small 'o' in realisation. Then she had an epiphany. This strange boy was talking to her. He was offering to play with her. What did that mean?

"So, um," she spoke shyly. "Does this mean you're my...f-friend?"

"Duh!" Natsu rolled his eyes and flashes a toothy smile. "From now on, Lucy, we'll be best friends! So stick by my side, kay?"

"Mkay," Lucy nodded with the biggest smile a 5 year old could muster.

The boy took her hand in his and dragged her up the tower, and soon enough, a few other people came to join their game. However, the evil black haired boy from before still wouldn't stop pulling at Lucy's pigtails, which made her a little sad. But her new friend scared him off by threatening to dowse him with his 'fire dragon's roar'. Whatever that meant, it worked and the evil boy left her alone for the rest of the day.

When home time came, Lucy ran outside to be immediately greeted by her mother. She jumped into her comforting arms and Layla hugged her fiercely.

"Oh, my darling child," she cooed before pulling away to look at her. "How was your day? Did you make any friends?"

Lucy nodded her head quickly with a broad smile.

"Uh huh!" she enthused. "Even better! I made a best friend!"

Layla's eyes widened.

"Already?"

"Yup!"

"I'm so proud of you, my baby."

It was that day, back 12 years ago, when Lucy made a friend she won't ever forget. And she was forever thankful to the 3 little girls, and the evil little black haired boy with the metal train; because had it not be for them making her feel as bad as she did, she wouldn't have hid behind the castle. She wouldn't have cried her eyes out. She wouldn't have been spotted by the strange boy with the wild pink hair.

She wouldn't have met her other half.

If you wanna read chapter 1, please review and let me know. :)

Any guesses as to who the black haired boy might be?

~Anna~


End file.
